Method of curing tobacco



Patented Oct. 8, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT? OFFICE WALTER IE. LILIENFIELD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO LILIENFII'HJD BROS. 6b COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS The inveution relates to a method of curing tobacco.

In the manufacture of tobacco for smoking, it is necessary before blending and mixing to cure the strong and harsh raw material so as to modify its disagreeable taste and make it mild. It is now common practice to cure it by ageing the material or by artificially obtaining the same result by a renewed fermen- 10 tation induced by moisture and heat, or mascerating the leaves in water acidulated with hydrochloric acid or some other chemical, and washing them out with pure water. These curing methods are objectionable because they require a great deal of labor and time and are not as efiective as desired in rendering the strong tobacco mild.

The object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved method of ouring strong and harsh tobacco preparatory to mixing and blending, which requires less time and labor than former methods, and effectively renders the strong tobacco mild and fine so that it has an aromatic and leasant flavor.

The improved method 0 curing is applied to the tobacco after it has been aged and fermented and consists in loosening and piling the tobacco leaves and then subjecting them to an ultra-violet ray. The latter may be produced by any suitable apparatus which is positioned above the pile a suflicient distance so that the leaves are not affected by the heat generated by the ray. The ray is applied from 15 minutes to 2 hours depending upon the quality and thickness of the tobacco under treatment and the mildness desired.

In practice, this method of curing has been found to eliminate the necessi of age the tobacco for a long time or the bor invo ved' in curing it by other methods. It has also been found to be the only method whereby any desired mildness ma be obtained.

Having thus descri the inventio what Iclaimasnewanddesiretosecureby tters [5 Patent, is:

That improvemeht in rendering mild and curing strong tobacco which consists in loosening previously aged and fermented tobacco leaves and then subjecting them to a machine 0 created ultra-violet ray for a period ranging Application filed March 17, 1927. Serial No. 176,303.

REISSUED approximately from fifteen minutes to two hours to render them of the desired mildness.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 15th day 

